The elder sister at once did as the younger requested, sighing a little as she went, yet relieved all the same because the matter had been settled for her.  By this time some of the men had brought ’Duke Radford into the store, and, sitting him on the bench by the stove, were peeling off his outer wraps.  Some of the others had unharnessed the dogs, while Phil carried out their supper.  Miles, meanwhile, was looking sharply after the store; for, although these neighbours were so kind and helpful, some of them were not to be trusted farther than they could be seen, and would have helped themselves to sugar, beans, tobacco, or anything else which took their fancy if the opportunity had been given them for doing so.

Whilst two of the men took ’Duke Radford’s clothes off, and got him safely into bed, another man approached Miles and asked for a particular kind of tobacco.  The boy sought for it in the place where it was usually kept, but, failing to find it, turned to Katherine, who stood in impatient misery by the stove, waiting to go to her father when the men had done with him.

“Katherine. where is the Black Crow tobacco kept now?  It always used to be on the shelf below the tea packets.”

“We are out of it,” she replied.  “But we shall have plenty to-morrow.  I had to cache most of the stores we were bringing; but they are safe enough, for I turned the little sledge upside down on the top of them, so I guess neither wolf nor wolverine will be able to get at them to tear the packets to pieces.”

“You won’t be able to get them either, for with all this snow you will never be able to find them,” said the man in a disappointed tone, for he was a great smoker who cared for only one sort of tobacco.

“Oh! make your mind quite easy on that score,” replied Katherine.  “I hung Father’s broken snowshoe in a branch of the tree, to mark the place, and I shall go over quite early to-morrow to bring the goods home.”

Directly she had spoken she repented her words; for she saw, without appearing to see, a look full of meaning which passed between Oily Dave and the customer who had been disappointed.  It was only a glance, and might stand for nothing, but she had seen it and was angry with herself for the indiscretion which had made her utter words which had better not have been spoken.  The men came out of the bedroom then, so she and Nellie were able to go in.

’Duke Radford was considerably battered.  He had a broken collar bone; one shoulder was bruised so badly that it looked as if it had been beaten with a hammer; and one side of his face had a deep flesh wound.  Mrs. Burton was a capital nurse:  she and Katherine between them soon had the sufferer as comfortable as it was possible to make him; then they fed him with strong hot broth, after which Mrs. Burton remembered that Katherine had had no supper, and hustled her off to the other room in search of food.  Katherine noticed as she went back through the store that Oily Dave had gone, also the man who had wanted to buy the Black Crow tobacco.